For a moment, Loevar was stunned that the news was actually true. So, the young master was really trying to feed the starving residents? Loevar could not believe it. In normal circumstances wherein the granary was full, it would have been a miracle for the nobles to feed the common people. But now that the Kingdom was under a state of famine, it was even more preposterous.

How did they gain so much food to feed all these people?

‘Don’t tell me, the young master used his own pocket money to import food from the Lion City? Impossible. A devil’s not that generous.’

“Listen up! Once you’re finished with the food, put back the bowls so that others can use them!” shouted a young man with silver hair.

Loevar stared at him in wonder. There was no doubt about it – that was the second son of Lord Drakus.

The servants of the noble would fill the bowls to the brim then hand it towards the ones in line. The queue was long, but Loevar was sure that to the starving residents, it did not matter how long they had to fall in line for. They were just grateful that they would be able to eat at all.

“Anthony!” shouted Loevar. He finally saw his little brother, right at the front of the line.

As he was about to approach the kid, he was stopped by the servants. The butler from the Marcus Family shook his head twice. “No skipping in line. Get to the back.”

A bit helpless, Loevar simply waited for his younger brother to finish the queue. After receiving his share of food, the young master stumped a charcoal mark on the kid’s nail.

“Why did you suddenly leave without telling me?” reprimanded Loevar the moment his brother went to him. Right now, the kid was carrying a large bowl filled with soup.

“You hate the Young Master, right? If I told you, you wouldn’t let me come,” said Anthony.

The voice of the kid was loud, and the Young Master stared at Loevar upon hearing it. Seeing this, Loevar panicked and immediately hushed his younger brother.

“Shhh! Not too loud!” breathed Loevar. He could not help but stare at the bowl his little brother was holding.

“Big brother, you should get a bowl of porridge too,” said Anthony. He scooped the bottom and showed Loevar the contents. “Look.

They’ve added a lot of wheat in it.”

Loevar could not help but salivate. His stomach started grumbling. If he fell in line, it would probably take an hour or two before his turn, but the temptation of the wheat porridge was too enticing. A single bowl would probably be enough for them to survive through an entire day.

“Listen!” The Young Master clapped his hands once. Despite the falling snow, he stood outside the manor, as though he was not afraid of catching a cold. “I want all of you to pass the news to everyone. Every day, until the next harvest, we will be giving out two bowls of wheat porridge to each resident! One in the morning and one in the evening!” The declaration stirred up everyone. Murmurs filled the mansion’s grounds.

“I-Is that true, young master?” asked one of the residents.

The young master nodded and smiled confidently. “Of course. I, Lark Marcus, never lie. You have my word.”

Although Loevar was doubting the credibility of the promise, he could not help but get excited. The news regarding free food for today was, after all, proven true.

“But it is not free!” declared the young master. The residents panicked upon hearing it. This town was among the poorest in the entire region. If the young master started asking silvers for food, then they would have no means to pay up.

“For each bowl of soup, an individual has to pay with three Poison Clouds!” said the young master. He took out a weed from his pocket and showed it to everyone. “You’ll have to give three of this in order to get your share of food. That is the rule!” “J-Just that?” asked a resident.

“If… If it’s just Poison Cloud… I have many of those growing around my house!”

“Me too!”

The crowd began to get excited. Loevar felt that the payment for a wheat soup was too cheap. After all, it was possible to get Poison Clouds by simply walking through the streets.

The young master was grinning. “I declare that from now on, no one shall starve during the freezing winter under my rule! This is the promise of Lark Marcus!”